Immaculate REV3 Turbo - and so my watch begins...

[JLW]

How does it sound ?

I love my Nur Spec !

[James Junior]

First impressions were promising on the drive back from Sheffield. The boominess was gone and the exhaust was doing exactly what I wanted. Quiet when driven with a light foot, but with a nice snarl to it with a few revs on the dial. Also there was an added bonus; the turbo response changed.

With the outgoing Japspeed fitted, the turbo would come in suddenly with a wall of boost. Sometimes you felt more like you were hanging on than driving it when the turbo kicked in under full throttle.

With the Cobra fitted the turbo spools up more smoothly, giving more progressive torque delivery than before. It makes the car feel really good and better than before.

I didn't have time for more test driving so parked her up for the night. On the Saturday the weather was dry and I had a few hours to myself, so decided to give the car a detailing session, trying out my new starter kit from Infinity Wax. Here are the fruits of my labours - car looks very red in one side shot as I think the sun hit it just as I took the pic!

[James Junior]

One thing I did notice about the exhaust when I detailed the car was that the adjustor clips for the tips are a bit noticeable if you are down low.

I asked for these to be included in the system so I could change the tailpipes if I wanted, but soon decided I was very happy with what I had chosen, making them superfluous really.

Further down the line I think I will have the tail pipes welded instead so the clips can be removed.

[James Junior]

I had also done a few other minor jobs on the car too, namely the removal of two of the three stickers on the back window, just leaving the 30th anniverary one.



I also removed the TEIN sticker from above the glovebox in the interior:

Before:



After:



Finally I added a set of TRD valve caps. These must add at least 5 bhp I am sure!

[jimGTS]

what you describe for boost sounds like youve removed a free flowing exhaust and fitted restrictive one.

its the same effect when you run a cat over running a straight through downpipe.

what internal bore is it ment to be?


old one looks like a blueflame or mongoose to me, a good exhuast, ebay exhausts have round not oval silencers.

why not go for a tried and tested exhaust system?? from either a JDM company or vendor who works and deals with tuning these cars?

does seem an odd route to go down asking an exhaust place to just make up a system, given i bet that wasnt cheap.

i love the car, seen it in the flesh and the previous owner was a really nice bloke, great car, but the new exhaust system isnt for me.

[Nic]

Can you not just rotate the clamps for the tail pipes so that the bolts are at the top and hidden behind the bumper?

[James Junior]

Thanks for your interest guys.

Jim - the exhaust that was on the car a while back was a Blueflame, but I've got a funny feeling that I recall Dan saying that he replaced it with a Japspeed. Regardless he did say the drone was annoying him too and if he'd kept the car he would have changed it anyway, so either way it was destined for the scrap heap! I remember Blueflame exhausts as I enquired with them about a system years ago. However on looking them up online today it looks like they went bankrupt and only do bike exhausts now. There are threads on some of the other car forums with people complaining about poor quality and service too so if the exhaust was a Blueflame that would explain a few things.

I'm not sure about the bore of the new system, but Cobra did show me where the outgoing exhaust narrowed as it split into the two back boxes so it looks like the old system was restrictive. I chose Cobra as I am so pleased with the exhaust they made for the Z. They told me they used to do a lot of MR2 systems back in the day, so this was good enough for me. I actually have more to say about the exhaust after a proper test drive but haven't got to that bit yet - uploading pics is taking a while as I'm using photo bucket. I'll post more info and my thoughts when I have chance later this weekend.

Good point about rotating the clips - I'll have a look at that when I have chance as an interim step before I have them welded.

[Nails]

Nice car and the best colour, but I too have doubts about the exhaust. Why is the box so small? It looks weird and look at the size of the fjousbo (sp?) legalis R, same style exhaust and the box is huge. For a box that small if it is reasonably quiet it must be packed tight with wadding or resonator pipes.

[alan_uk]

The original exhaust shown in the pics on page 1 is 100% not a japspeed it does look like a blueflame turbo system

I agree with above though that box does look tiny

As far as im aware cobra only ever made a system for the mk3 off the shelf and they have a really bad reputation

You would of been way better going for a true tried and tested jdm ststem imo

The hks superdragger is a nice quiet system unless you give it beans although hard to find

[James Junior]

I had a look on Japspeed's website and the outgoing system looks identical to the one shown on their website.

Regardless, the outgoing exhaust was either made by a company whose name is dragged through the mud on forums on the internet for poor quality and who went bankrupt, or by a cheap exhaust manufacturer. It also sounded awful.

As for Cobra's reputation they are having trouble meeting demand for their products at the moment and I had to book several weeks in advance to get my car in with them. I am not some Cobra fanboy, but have simply had a great experience with them both times I have bought their products. They have a good reputation on the Z forums with members and suppliers and are now starting to export their products to the US too, so must be doing something right.

I don't mean to come across as prickly - its easy to be a bit overly defensive when its your own car - however this thread seems to be being devolving into people contributing nothing other than critisism of an exhaust that they have no experience of other than how it looks.

The brief I gave Cobra was to make me a system that got rid of the horrible boominess and drone of the outgoing system, but which still had a nice bark to it at higher revs. They have nailed it. As an unexpected bonus it has made the turbo come in a bit smoother, which makes the car nicer to drive and which is no doubt a kinder to the clutch. Having not dynoed the car I cannot say whether we have lost or gained a few horses or torque either way. However, headline figures are useful for nothing other than bragging rights anyway. It is how a car drives that is important and it feels better than before and no less potent than before.

The jury is still out on the appearance of the adjustable clips on the tips (I think I will get these welded now I know I am happy with them), but overall the exhaust has done everything I wanted it to, so perfectly happy.

I would like to carry on sharing the car with you all in a positive way, as I am really enjoying being back in the MR2 saddleand being back on IMOC. Now that people have voiced their opinions about the new exhaust system hopefully we can move on to more of the good stuff.

[James Junior]

So anyway, back to where I was up to, the Sunday before last we had a beautiful sunny day, so I waited for early evening before heading out to give the car a proper test drive over some of my favourite roads. This was my first opportunity to drive it properly with the new suspension and exhaust fitted.

I am fortunate enough to live on the edge of the Peak District, so my playground is Snake and Woodhead Pass. As I set out onto Woodhead the sun was just starting to dip, so I turned off up the Holmfirth road to get some pictures at the top whilst still having some light to play with. The views at the top are nothing short of spectacular.

I then theaded my way back down and cut across towards Glossop which is a lovely stretch of B road, with twists and turns, a gratifying haripin and occasional views of the reservoir below through breaks in the trees. I then skirted Glossop and arrived at Snake Pass as the sun was setting and the light was fading. I pulled in at the Ladybower reservoir as the moon was coming up over the water for a few more snaps, then blasted back along Snake Pass as the last of the light was fading.

The car drives really well now and gives you the confidence to attack the road as it corners very flat, but with much better damping than before. You still have to manage things carefully; carry too little throttle into a bend and get hard on the power too soon on the way out and the nose runs wide, rear wheels scrabbling for purchase and tail wriggling a bit. However, leave a bit of boost dialled in and get back on the throttle smoothly once your past the apex and the car flows beautifully out of the bend. It then hurls you up the road pinning you in your seat as you surf the swell of torque along the next straight looking for the next bend in which to rinse and repeat. All the while the turbo hisses away about six inches behind your head as if it's about to suck your brain out of your ear, dump valve chattering away. A sensation all of your turbo drivers are no doubt well familiar with and one which I have really missed during my long hiatus from MR2 ownership! The new exhaust makes revving the car out much more enjoyable, though in reality the acceleration is savage enough that you often find yourself short shifting just for a milliseconds breather before the next wave of boost comes in. The car remains as talkative as ever, frequently rewarding you with a 'pop' as you slot in the next gear.

Even by modern standards this is a very fast car. It flings you up the road at an almost comical pace and at one point a four car overtake was dispatched with casual ease when I got caught behind some dawdlers. It's utterly beguiling to drive and exciting in a way that modern cars just can't match. The gear change is so sweet and I love the way you can really feel the weight of the car moving around. My 370Z feels lumpen and blunt by comparison and needs to be driven at higher speeds to feel anything like as rewarding. Everything on the MR2 feels so fresh and is a real credit to Dan the former owner, who refreshed just about everything on the car. I am so happy to be back in MR2 ownership. Here are a few pictures: